Difference between revisions of "Pontius MkKlain XVII"
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==Statistics== | ==Statistics== | ||
| − | Str 15 ( | + | Str 15 (in life 18:77, w/ gauntlets of ogre strength 18:00) Dex 14 Con - (in life 17) Int 15 Wis 15 Cha 9 (in life 18) |
Hit Dice: 8d10 + 24, (former hp: 66) | Hit Dice: 8d10 + 24, (former hp: 66) | ||
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==Undead Attributes== | ==Undead Attributes== | ||
| − | '''Description''': Pontius MkKlain appears pale and his eyes dull and off-colored. His naked skin is festooned with numerous black-inked cuneiform symbols and glyphs, which generally appear on both sides of all major and even some minor segments of his body. Where his heart was, there now exists a great scar in the form of the image of roots of gnarled black tree reaching outward across his chest as if they were veins. | + | '''Physical Description''': Pontius MkKlain appears pale and his eyes dull and off-colored. Due to his appearance alone, anyone who draws close to him will almost certainly sense he is no longer of the living. His naked skin is festooned with numerous black-inked cuneiform symbols and glyphs, which generally appear on both sides of all major and even some minor segments of his body. Where his heart was, there now exists a great scar in the form of the image of roots of gnarled black tree reaching outward across his chest as if they were veins. His body also smells faintly of formaldehyde. |
| − | '''General Undead Condition''': Since his ''transformation'', Pontius MkKlain's body has been effectively dead, for he has no heartbeat, and no organ he possesses is required for him to operate to his full potential, although the loss of limbs and muscle groups will have an effect. Furthermore, MkKlain's body has been ridden of almost all his blood, and has instead been replaced with a preservative formaldehyde formula. If MkKlain ever loses over 50% of his hit points due to lacerations or punctures, he will have leaked too much of this clear fluid, and will thereafter appear inhumanly gaunt and wizened until he ingests more formaldeyde. Pontius does not feel pain, and may fight up to -10 hp, at which point his body will collapse. When wounded, the cuneiform symbols nearest the injury will become all the more apparent on his skin, and will ooze forth tendrils of darkness that feed the wound until it is restored, healing him at the rate of 1 hp/turn. | + | '''General Undead Condition''': Since his ''transformation'', Pontius MkKlain's body has been effectively dead, for he has no heartbeat, and no organ he possesses is required for him to operate to his full potential, although the loss of limbs and muscle groups will have an effect. Furthermore, MkKlain's body has been ridden of almost all his blood, and has instead been replaced with a preservative formaldehyde formula. If MkKlain ever loses over 50% of his hit points due to lacerations or punctures, he will have leaked too much of this clear fluid, and will thereafter appear inhumanly gaunt and wizened until he ingests more formaldeyde. Although he recognizes injuries, Pontius does not feel pain as such, and may fight up to -10 hp, at which point his body will collapse. When wounded, the cuneiform symbols nearest the injury will become all the more apparent on his skin, and will ooze forth tendrils of darkness that feed the wound until it is restored, healing him at the rate of 1 hp/turn. |
MkKlain's muscles are no longer as strong as they once were, and his body now moves to a large degree due to sorcery and his undead power. Therefore, without his gauntlets, Pontius' physical strength is limited to the magically bestowed strength of 15 | MkKlain's muscles are no longer as strong as they once were, and his body now moves to a large degree due to sorcery and his undead power. Therefore, without his gauntlets, Pontius' physical strength is limited to the magically bestowed strength of 15 | ||
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'''Special Undead Vulnerabilities''': may be turned as a 8HD undead monster or spectre, +2 damage/die when suffering fire-based attacks | '''Special Undead Vulnerabilities''': may be turned as a 8HD undead monster or spectre, +2 damage/die when suffering fire-based attacks | ||
| − | [[File:La-puerta-del-infierno-rodin.jpg|thumb|right|500px|The Door of Saints, later called the Door of Doom, that was built in the once holy city of Vatia. Although originally intended to be a door to the heavens and designed to summon the god Vastuvius, the door instead opened to the Abyss and its | + | [[File:La-puerta-del-infierno-rodin.jpg|thumb|right|500px|The Door of Saints, later called the Door of Doom, that was built in the once holy city of Vatia. Although originally intended to be a door to the heavens and designed to summon the god Vastuvius, the door instead opened to the Abyss and its demons, and thus became the catalyst for the end of MkKlain's world.]] |
==The Undeath of Pontius== | ==The Undeath of Pontius== | ||
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====The Burning of the Lab, the Lich's Silence, Ktandeo the Undying, and the Lich's Vengeance==== | ====The Burning of the Lab, the Lich's Silence, Ktandeo the Undying, and the Lich's Vengeance==== | ||
| − | Locked in his inner sanctum and unable to escape, it was many days before Pontius MkKlain and his companions in captivity were at last defeated by the lich. Unable to find the lich's inner sanctum or confront him in combat, they ravaged the mysterious lich's dungeon and laboratory, freeing many of his monsters, despoiling his wondrous treasures, and setting fire to his vast library. Amidst the ruins of the once fabulous sanctum, the various heroes at last freed the agent of their initial redemption, the mighty warrior Ktandeo | + | Locked in his inner sanctum and unable to escape, it was many days before Pontius MkKlain and his companions in captivity were at last defeated by the lich. Unable to find the lich's inner sanctum or confront him in combat, they ravaged the mysterious lich's dungeon and laboratory, freeing many of his monsters, despoiling his wondrous treasures, and setting fire to his vast library. Amidst the ruins of the once fabulous sanctum, the various heroes at last freed the agent of their initial redemption, the mighty warrior Ktandeo. |
| − | Set upon a great hook held aloft by | + | Set upon a great hook held aloft by an enormous iron pole, Ktandeo inexplicably lived despite days of hunger and thirst as well as incredible and unending pain. At last satisfied that the lich was either destroyed in their fires or otherwise unable to harm them, Pontius, having recovered his magical ancestral sword, cut down Ktandeo, and relieved the great warrior's pains and woes with his paladin's healing hand. Ktandeo, thankful of the aid given, told the scattered heroes his tale, such as it was, and after recovering some of his strength, aided MkKlain and the other heroes in how they might best escape the lich's sanctum, examining the Great Machine to see if they could master its use. In one occasion, they succeeded in this, and caused the great system of globes and domes to spin and swirl until one of their party disappeared, to planes unknown. Although unsure of his fate, the heroes agreed that such a fate was better than starvation in the lich's dungeon, and prepared to use the Machine again so that each of them could make their escape. Ktandeo volunteered to remain, announcing that he would not flee the ruin until he discovered the answer to the riddle of the lich's location, and destroy him. |
| − | While on guard during their party's rest, MkKlain was approached by one of their recent companions freed from the dungeon, and now amongst their number. A half-angelic being of great grace and beauty named the same as Pontius' deceased wife Anastasia, she comforted Pontius. However, admidst her carcasses and sweet smelling embrace, an evil and subtle poison was imperceptibly introduced over MkKlain's skin. Saying that the others meant to abandon Pontius, and that Ktandeo would betray his word to use the Machine first, MkKlain grew unbalanced and wroth, and left to an evil poison-induced stupor, slew his resting companions as they slept, with Ktandeo alone escaping, yet even he received a mortal wound from Pontius' ''black blade''. Soon after the black rage, the poison wore off, yet in vengeance, when her answers to his questions did not suffice, in the last stages of the poison's swoon, MkKlain still slew Anastasia, although the soul of the lich that had possessed her had just left to manifest into a previously invisible body. Examining her body, MkKlain soon found the unhallowed bottle of black glass which had a sweet yet subtle smell, and quickly surmised the truth, especially as he heard the cackle of the invisible lich which | + | While on guard during their party's rest, MkKlain was approached by one of their recent companions freed from the dungeon, and now amongst their number. A half-angelic being of great grace and beauty named the same as Pontius' deceased wife Anastasia, she comforted Pontius. However, admidst her carcasses and sweet smelling embrace, an evil and subtle poison was imperceptibly introduced over MkKlain's skin. Saying that the others meant to abandon Pontius, and that Ktandeo would betray his word to use the Machine first, MkKlain grew unbalanced and wroth, and left to an evil poison-induced stupor, slew outright his resting companions as they slept, with Ktandeo alone escaping, yet even he received a mortal wound from Pontius' ''black blade''. Soon after the black rage, the poison wore off, yet in vengeance, when her answers to his questions did not suffice, in the last stages of the poison's swoon, MkKlain still slew Anastasia, although the soul of the lich that had possessed her had just left to manifest into a previously invisible body. Examining her body, MkKlain soon found the unhallowed bottle of black glass which had a sweet yet subtle smell, and quickly surmised the truth, especially as he heard the cackle of the invisible lich which was looking on. |
| − | Pontius rushed to destroy the long-absent undead sorcerer, but with a wave of his hand the enchantments woven over his armor by the soft hand of Anastasia were activated, and his armor fell off in a wave, including his magical heume, which protected his mind. Nonetheless Pontius charged, but with a flash the lich's naked bones became golden, and even the slashes of the ''black sword'' could do him little harm. Next, in desperation, Pontius wrestled-down the lich, but the touch was so chill and enervating that it sapped MkKlain's will, and although he prevented the lich's spells, he could not destroy him. However, in the struggle, MkKlain dislodged a magic stone set into the corpse's eye, and smashed it, to the great anger of the lich. At last, incapable of bearing the unfathomable cold any longer, Pontius released, and the wrathful lich, in a victorious stance, threw a spell upon his mind, sending him into a swoon of madness | + | Pontius rushed to destroy the long-absent undead sorcerer, but with a wave of his hand the enchantments woven over his armor by the soft hand of Anastasia were activated, and his armor fell off in a wave, including his magical heume, which protected his mind. Nonetheless Pontius charged, but with a flash the lich's naked bones became golden, and even the slashes of the ''black sword'' could do him little harm. Next, in desperation, Pontius wrestled-down the lich, but the touch was so chill and enervating that it sapped MkKlain's will, and although he prevented the lich's spells, he could not destroy him. However, in the struggle, MkKlain dislodged a magic stone set into the corpse's eye, and smashed it, to the great anger of the lich. At last, incapable of bearing the unfathomable cold any longer, Pontius released, and the wrathful lich, in a victorious stance, threw a spell upon his mind, sending him into a swoon of madness and pain. The last thoughts of freedom MkKlain would remember before he collapsed into a heap were of magically-induced madness and despair, as the lich's magical mind spider weaved through and consumed his inner thoughts in a flurry of pain. |
====The Undeath of Pontius MkKlain==== | ====The Undeath of Pontius MkKlain==== | ||
| − | Pontius awoke upon the lich's grizzly rack, being stretched and torn at the lich's own hands. Seeing Ktandeo once again mounted on his hook upon the wall, the lich, admitting his name to be Enco Salorini, tortured MkKlain for information, and demanding secrets. Amidst this questioning, the | + | Pontius awoke upon the lich's grizzly rack, being stretched and torn at the lich's own hands. Seeing Ktandeo once again mounted on his hook upon the wall, the lich, admitting his name to be the Marques Enco Salorini, tortured MkKlain for information, and demanding secrets. Amidst this questioning, the Marques revealed a fair amount of information about itself, as it attempted to glean the purpose of Ktandeo and the other companions that had escaped the dungeon. When it at last grew tired of its tortures, the lich announced that it would be best, before it killed him, that MkKlain offer up his soul in sacrifice to Nergal and his queen, the gods of the dead in the lich's world, and that MkKlain would regret it grievously if he did not. When MkKlain refused to offer up his soul in service to these dark deities, the lich placed MkKlain in a great stone sarcophagus of steels nails, and after seven closings with the blades moving, MkKlain at last died. |
| − | Upon awakening, Pontius found himself a mutilated corpse with a great hole in his chest, | + | Upon awakening, Pontius found himself a mutilated corpse with a great hole in his chest, his heart missing. He lay on a slab, and was shown by the lich some of the garments and personal items of his youngest child and son, Pontius XVIII. Taking pleasure in the telling, the lich then told Pontius how after uncovering MkKlain's past with his mind-spider spell, the lich had divined and journeyed to MkKlain's fallen world, wherein the lich unearthed Pontius' youngest son, and used it to commune with the boy's soul in the afterlife. The lich then tracked the boy's soul to Elysium, and tricking the boy, merged him not with his restored body, which was an illusion, but rather with his decaying corpse. Once completed, the lich returned with the boy to his sanctum, and used the Machine to take the boy to the domain of Nergal, where he crushed the undead boy's skull, and buried him before an evil tree that had been grown from Pontius' dead heart. |
| − | The lich explained how the boy's sacrifice had been used to return Pontius to his body as an undead, and how the lich intended to repeat his course of action upon his other children. With each new sacrifice, Pontius would grow more powerful and look more human, which suited the lich's purpose, for he meant Pontius as an eternal weapon against his enemies. Amidst his talking, the lich admitted that he believed, should all of MkKlain's children and wife be sacrificed in such a manner, the Powers of the underworld would see fit to return Pontius back to life. | + | The lich explained how the boy's sacrifice had been used to return Pontius to his body as an undead, and how the lich intended to repeat his course of action upon his other children. With each new sacrifice, Pontius would grow more powerful and look more human, which suited the lich's purpose, for he meant Pontius as an eternal weapon against his enemies, capable of mimicking the living. Amidst his talking, the lich admitted that he believed, should all of MkKlain's children and wife be sacrificed in such a manner, that the Powers of the underworld would see fit to return Pontius back to life. |
The lich then commanded Pontius to assist him to do the same to several of his other children, and when MkKlain at first refused, the lich revealed the head of his wife, threatening that yet more vile fates for Pontius were yet possible, and that Pontius ought to have given his soul to Nergal before he had died. The lich then brought forth a seed produced from the tree of Pontius' heart and uttered a terrible spell, and commanded the undead MkKlain into obedience. | The lich then commanded Pontius to assist him to do the same to several of his other children, and when MkKlain at first refused, the lich revealed the head of his wife, threatening that yet more vile fates for Pontius were yet possible, and that Pontius ought to have given his soul to Nergal before he had died. The lich then brought forth a seed produced from the tree of Pontius' heart and uttered a terrible spell, and commanded the undead MkKlain into obedience. | ||
| Line 65: | Line 65: | ||
====The False Freedom of MkKlain from the Clutches of the Lich==== | ====The False Freedom of MkKlain from the Clutches of the Lich==== | ||
| − | Upon the fourth of MkKlain's children to be sacrificed, the lich expected Pontius' heart to once again beat, which suited | + | Upon the fourth of MkKlain's children to be sacrificed, the lich expected Pontius' heart to once again beat, and his undeath to be ever more akin to life, which suited the lich's purposes. However, upon traveling to the plane of Arborea as the home of his daughter Kitiara's soul, this time the forces of good were ready, and despite all the illusions and trickery of the lich, the angelic spirits of the upper planes saw through the lich's magical shrouds, and attacked. Pontius, wielding the ''black blade'', fought, but soon the battle went wrong, and the lich fled, leaving the undead Pontius to flee the righteous power of the immortal guardians of Arborea. Terrified by the holy light of the eladrin, Pontius ran down into a river basin, but the powerful eladrin followed and meant to destroy him in righteous indignation. Yet Pontius did not wish to end in this way, with his own vengeance left undone. Praying to whatever Powers might still listen, Pontius soon found a dark mist enveloping him, keeping him hidden from the eladrin scouts. Soon, the mists swept him away from the face of Arborea and Outer Planes entirely, leaving him in a realm that was very much different and fitting for his fate. |
==Equipment== | ==Equipment== | ||
[[File:26f4c498d1a04bfeaae457d165ed10b0.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Enco's new well-crafted field plate armor for Pontius MkKlain XVII, designed to match his magical gaunlets.]] | [[File:26f4c498d1a04bfeaae457d165ed10b0.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Enco's new well-crafted field plate armor for Pontius MkKlain XVII, designed to match his magical gaunlets.]] | ||
Revision as of 17:31, 6 October 2017
Pontius MkKlain XVII, 8th level LN(G) fallen paladin of Vastuvian, 3rd magnitude undead construct
Title: Earl Marshal of the Klain, Knight Commander of the Order of the Ebon Chalice
Method of Address: "your Grace", or "Lord Sir Pontius Mkklain XVII"
Contents
Statistics
Str 15 (in life 18:77, w/ gauntlets of ogre strength 18:00) Dex 14 Con - (in life 17) Int 15 Wis 15 Cha 9 (in life 18)
Hit Dice: 8d10 + 24, (former hp: 66)
ht.: 6 ft. 3 in. wt.: ? (formerly 210 lbs.)
Weapon Profs.: bastard sword, heavy horse lance, war hammer, dirk
Non. Weapon Profs.: (groomer), land based riding, endurance, reading/writing, healing
Languages: Common, High Philosian
Undead Attributes
Physical Description: Pontius MkKlain appears pale and his eyes dull and off-colored. Due to his appearance alone, anyone who draws close to him will almost certainly sense he is no longer of the living. His naked skin is festooned with numerous black-inked cuneiform symbols and glyphs, which generally appear on both sides of all major and even some minor segments of his body. Where his heart was, there now exists a great scar in the form of the image of roots of gnarled black tree reaching outward across his chest as if they were veins. His body also smells faintly of formaldehyde.
General Undead Condition: Since his transformation, Pontius MkKlain's body has been effectively dead, for he has no heartbeat, and no organ he possesses is required for him to operate to his full potential, although the loss of limbs and muscle groups will have an effect. Furthermore, MkKlain's body has been ridden of almost all his blood, and has instead been replaced with a preservative formaldehyde formula. If MkKlain ever loses over 50% of his hit points due to lacerations or punctures, he will have leaked too much of this clear fluid, and will thereafter appear inhumanly gaunt and wizened until he ingests more formaldeyde. Although he recognizes injuries, Pontius does not feel pain as such, and may fight up to -10 hp, at which point his body will collapse. When wounded, the cuneiform symbols nearest the injury will become all the more apparent on his skin, and will ooze forth tendrils of darkness that feed the wound until it is restored, healing him at the rate of 1 hp/turn.
MkKlain's muscles are no longer as strong as they once were, and his body now moves to a large degree due to sorcery and his undead power. Therefore, without his gauntlets, Pontius' physical strength is limited to the magically bestowed strength of 15
Special Undead Abilities: cannot sleep, no requirement for air, water or feed, regeneration 1 hp/turn, infravision (180 ft. range)
Special Undead Defenses: 1/2 damage from cold-based and electrical attacks, immunity to diseases, immunity to poisons, immunity to sleep, charm and hold spells, causes psychological harm to those who are not undead when telepathic psionic attacks are attempted
Special Undead Vulnerabilities: may be turned as a 8HD undead monster or spectre, +2 damage/die when suffering fire-based attacks
The Undeath of Pontius
Draft Summary
The Burning of the Lab, the Lich's Silence, Ktandeo the Undying, and the Lich's Vengeance
Locked in his inner sanctum and unable to escape, it was many days before Pontius MkKlain and his companions in captivity were at last defeated by the lich. Unable to find the lich's inner sanctum or confront him in combat, they ravaged the mysterious lich's dungeon and laboratory, freeing many of his monsters, despoiling his wondrous treasures, and setting fire to his vast library. Amidst the ruins of the once fabulous sanctum, the various heroes at last freed the agent of their initial redemption, the mighty warrior Ktandeo.
Set upon a great hook held aloft by an enormous iron pole, Ktandeo inexplicably lived despite days of hunger and thirst as well as incredible and unending pain. At last satisfied that the lich was either destroyed in their fires or otherwise unable to harm them, Pontius, having recovered his magical ancestral sword, cut down Ktandeo, and relieved the great warrior's pains and woes with his paladin's healing hand. Ktandeo, thankful of the aid given, told the scattered heroes his tale, such as it was, and after recovering some of his strength, aided MkKlain and the other heroes in how they might best escape the lich's sanctum, examining the Great Machine to see if they could master its use. In one occasion, they succeeded in this, and caused the great system of globes and domes to spin and swirl until one of their party disappeared, to planes unknown. Although unsure of his fate, the heroes agreed that such a fate was better than starvation in the lich's dungeon, and prepared to use the Machine again so that each of them could make their escape. Ktandeo volunteered to remain, announcing that he would not flee the ruin until he discovered the answer to the riddle of the lich's location, and destroy him.
While on guard during their party's rest, MkKlain was approached by one of their recent companions freed from the dungeon, and now amongst their number. A half-angelic being of great grace and beauty named the same as Pontius' deceased wife Anastasia, she comforted Pontius. However, admidst her carcasses and sweet smelling embrace, an evil and subtle poison was imperceptibly introduced over MkKlain's skin. Saying that the others meant to abandon Pontius, and that Ktandeo would betray his word to use the Machine first, MkKlain grew unbalanced and wroth, and left to an evil poison-induced stupor, slew outright his resting companions as they slept, with Ktandeo alone escaping, yet even he received a mortal wound from Pontius' black blade. Soon after the black rage, the poison wore off, yet in vengeance, when her answers to his questions did not suffice, in the last stages of the poison's swoon, MkKlain still slew Anastasia, although the soul of the lich that had possessed her had just left to manifest into a previously invisible body. Examining her body, MkKlain soon found the unhallowed bottle of black glass which had a sweet yet subtle smell, and quickly surmised the truth, especially as he heard the cackle of the invisible lich which was looking on.
Pontius rushed to destroy the long-absent undead sorcerer, but with a wave of his hand the enchantments woven over his armor by the soft hand of Anastasia were activated, and his armor fell off in a wave, including his magical heume, which protected his mind. Nonetheless Pontius charged, but with a flash the lich's naked bones became golden, and even the slashes of the black sword could do him little harm. Next, in desperation, Pontius wrestled-down the lich, but the touch was so chill and enervating that it sapped MkKlain's will, and although he prevented the lich's spells, he could not destroy him. However, in the struggle, MkKlain dislodged a magic stone set into the corpse's eye, and smashed it, to the great anger of the lich. At last, incapable of bearing the unfathomable cold any longer, Pontius released, and the wrathful lich, in a victorious stance, threw a spell upon his mind, sending him into a swoon of madness and pain. The last thoughts of freedom MkKlain would remember before he collapsed into a heap were of magically-induced madness and despair, as the lich's magical mind spider weaved through and consumed his inner thoughts in a flurry of pain.
The Undeath of Pontius MkKlain
Pontius awoke upon the lich's grizzly rack, being stretched and torn at the lich's own hands. Seeing Ktandeo once again mounted on his hook upon the wall, the lich, admitting his name to be the Marques Enco Salorini, tortured MkKlain for information, and demanding secrets. Amidst this questioning, the Marques revealed a fair amount of information about itself, as it attempted to glean the purpose of Ktandeo and the other companions that had escaped the dungeon. When it at last grew tired of its tortures, the lich announced that it would be best, before it killed him, that MkKlain offer up his soul in sacrifice to Nergal and his queen, the gods of the dead in the lich's world, and that MkKlain would regret it grievously if he did not. When MkKlain refused to offer up his soul in service to these dark deities, the lich placed MkKlain in a great stone sarcophagus of steels nails, and after seven closings with the blades moving, MkKlain at last died.
Upon awakening, Pontius found himself a mutilated corpse with a great hole in his chest, his heart missing. He lay on a slab, and was shown by the lich some of the garments and personal items of his youngest child and son, Pontius XVIII. Taking pleasure in the telling, the lich then told Pontius how after uncovering MkKlain's past with his mind-spider spell, the lich had divined and journeyed to MkKlain's fallen world, wherein the lich unearthed Pontius' youngest son, and used it to commune with the boy's soul in the afterlife. The lich then tracked the boy's soul to Elysium, and tricking the boy, merged him not with his restored body, which was an illusion, but rather with his decaying corpse. Once completed, the lich returned with the boy to his sanctum, and used the Machine to take the boy to the domain of Nergal, where he crushed the undead boy's skull, and buried him before an evil tree that had been grown from Pontius' dead heart.
The lich explained how the boy's sacrifice had been used to return Pontius to his body as an undead, and how the lich intended to repeat his course of action upon his other children. With each new sacrifice, Pontius would grow more powerful and look more human, which suited the lich's purpose, for he meant Pontius as an eternal weapon against his enemies, capable of mimicking the living. Amidst his talking, the lich admitted that he believed, should all of MkKlain's children and wife be sacrificed in such a manner, that the Powers of the underworld would see fit to return Pontius back to life.
The lich then commanded Pontius to assist him to do the same to several of his other children, and when MkKlain at first refused, the lich revealed the head of his wife, threatening that yet more vile fates for Pontius were yet possible, and that Pontius ought to have given his soul to Nergal before he had died. The lich then brought forth a seed produced from the tree of Pontius' heart and uttered a terrible spell, and commanded the undead MkKlain into obedience.
Two more children, Octavian and Asa, were likewise doomed by the lich and their undead father, with their remains and souls being buried under the tree of Pontius' heart. With each new burial, the tree grew, and Octavian became more human, and more powerful, and more damned.
The False Freedom of MkKlain from the Clutches of the Lich
Upon the fourth of MkKlain's children to be sacrificed, the lich expected Pontius' heart to once again beat, and his undeath to be ever more akin to life, which suited the lich's purposes. However, upon traveling to the plane of Arborea as the home of his daughter Kitiara's soul, this time the forces of good were ready, and despite all the illusions and trickery of the lich, the angelic spirits of the upper planes saw through the lich's magical shrouds, and attacked. Pontius, wielding the black blade, fought, but soon the battle went wrong, and the lich fled, leaving the undead Pontius to flee the righteous power of the immortal guardians of Arborea. Terrified by the holy light of the eladrin, Pontius ran down into a river basin, but the powerful eladrin followed and meant to destroy him in righteous indignation. Yet Pontius did not wish to end in this way, with his own vengeance left undone. Praying to whatever Powers might still listen, Pontius soon found a dark mist enveloping him, keeping him hidden from the eladrin scouts. Soon, the mists swept him away from the face of Arborea and Outer Planes entirely, leaving him in a realm that was very much different and fitting for his fate.
